An 18th Century pornographic cartoon featuring Marie Antoinette and the great French General and politician Lafayette, c. 1790

No Joke

Using humor to mask and normalize hatred and bigotry has a long, ugly history.
Sophia McClennen, author of Trump Was a Joke

Laughing Matters

Sophia McClennen, author of Trump Was a Joke, discusses how political satire decoded the chaos of the forty-fifth presidency.
T.S. Eliot and Groucho Marx

All Male Cats Are Named Tom: Or, the Uneasy Symbiosis between T. S. Eliot and Groucho Marx

Class and religious differences, among other factors, thwarted the would-be friendship between two cultural titans, suggesting opposites attract, but may not adhere.
Somebody stealing a speech bubble from another person

Policing Joke Theft

Joke theft: it's a serious matter.
Parody English heavy metal band, Spinal Tap

The Mockumentary: A Very Real History

What's the appeal of humor masquerading as seriousness? An entire movie genre stands ready to shed light on that question.
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tom-margie/1558177982

Harold Lloyd’s Death-Defying Comedy

“With comedy, trouble is one of the greatest ingredients because there are so many variations to it,” the silent film actor told one scholar.
Jeremy Irons in Steven Soderbergh's "Kafka."

Franz Kafka’s The Trial—It’s Funny Because It’s True

Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.
Gene Wilder in 1978

Gene Wilder

Gene Wilder and the fan letters he got...from Gene Wilder.
Going through the storm of Universal suffrage...

The Golden Age of Political Cartoons

Does it sometimes seem as if our political culture is a political cartoon?
The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
Comedy Central/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

‘The Daily Show’ as Political Influence

Does the Daily Show really impact people's political views?